


All-Nighter

by The_Alias (Artemis_Day)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, Christmas, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Late Night Conversations, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt, you know vaguely...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21706837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Day/pseuds/The_Alias
Summary: Working the late shift isn't bad when you have company.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Jane Foster
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	All-Nighter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [startraveller776](https://archiveofourown.org/users/startraveller776/gifts).



> Written for startraveller776.
> 
> Prompt: Servers forced to work the night before the holiday at a twenty-four-hour diner, and there is absolutely no one coming in, how do you want to pass the time?

“Okay, who’s the worst customer you’ve ever had to deal with?”

That was a loaded question. Immediately Bucky thought of ten potential answers, each wilder than the last. There was the woman who always wore at least twenty Pitbull necklaces (the rapper, not the dog) and wouldn’t stop complaining about the quality of the napkins. One guy came in every Thursday at 5:32 on the dot wearing wizard robes and carrying a staff. After finishing his meal he’d cast a ‘charm’ upon the restaurant to bring them good fortune. Except for one time, there was a hair in his chicken noodle soup and the poor waiter on duty was cursed to never satisfy a woman in bed again.

(Assuming Dugan ever could to begin with.)

Still, none of them seemed like the right story to tell the new ‘recruit’. Such tales of horror were great for trading with veteran employees, but they might just scare her into quitting. Bucky couldn’t have that. He still needed to work up the nerve to ask her out. 

“Let’s see,” he dropped the dishrag in the ‘dirty’ bucket. The floors, tables, and countertop were all spotless and they still had an hour before the early morning staff came in. "Back when I first started working here, one of the chefs was going through a pretty nasty divorce. Her husband was a reporter for a small TV station, which of course meant he thought he was a bigshot news anchor.”

“I know the type," said Jane.

“Well, he came in one day while they were still in court to do a special segment on local businesses. He was supposed to judge the food on camera, interview the staff, yadda yadda. First, he makes sure to praise everyone in the kitchen except her, then when he did mention her it was just to comment on her weight.”

“On camera?”

“Looking right at the lens, shiny reporter grin and all,” Bucky mimicked the smile, which made his face hurt. "Then it was time for his meal, and that’s when the shit really hit the fan. Literally.”

Jane blinked. “Huh?”

“His wife put laxative in the chili," said Bucky. "The dumbass ate the whole bowl because he started shitting himself right there in his seat. The smell was unbearable. Every other customer immediately cleared out, the two of them started screaming at each other and nearly got into a full-on brawl, the whole time the cameraman kept recording. I have the privilege of owning a copy of this historic event. Buddy of mine was kind enough to tape it for me.”

“Jesus Christ,” Jane choked out through a belly laugh. “And here I thought things would quiet down when I moved out of the city.”

“There’s no such thing as quiet.” He played with the miniature Christmas tree by the register, the only sign that a major holiday was on the horizon. Pretty soon, they’d have the windows painted with snow and garlands lining the walls, but for now, the mood was decidedly mid-November. 

“I hope that’s not what I have to look forward to,” said Jane.

“Not really,” Bucky said. “Those guys are pretty rare, but they make things interesting. Also, the manager had enough brains to hire a professional team to scrub the place down after the reporter left.”

“At least he cares,” Jane said. She sat on a stool, smoothing out her knee-high uniform dress. It wasn’t exactly stylish, but Jane made it work. He imagined she could make anything work. 

“Don’t worry, if some asshole gives you a hard time, I’ll protect you.”

And that came out so much weirder than it sounded in his head. Maybe if they’d known each other for longer than a week and this wasn’t the first time they actually worked a shift together. Maybe not then either. Bucky coughed as his cheeks turned red, but Jane just smiled. “Thanks, but I hope it won’t come to that.”

Bucky shrugged. “Customer service is a tough job. You need your allies.”

“Especially when reporters with irritable bowels are involved.” 

Their laughter was cut off by headlights pulling into the parking lot. Bucky stood at attention as the car cruised down the line of empty spaces, pulled a u-turn and drove back the way it came into the dark of the night.

“Is it bad that I’m relieved?” Jane asked.

“I wouldn’t believe you if you weren’t.”


End file.
